Problem with P5 when it's really cold out...
 

can anyone help me with this...

with these VERY cold temperatures (in Toronto) we've been having lately i've noticed that when i first begin to drive in the morning my car makes this slight jerky motion at about 1500rpms...the tach and engine kick up and down somewhere between 1400 and 1600 rpms...this happens for about the first few minutes of driving whenever the engine is spinning at that speed, but then it goes away once the engine is up at running temp...

the car is parked outside overnight, but i let it warm up for about 5mins or so, so it's not just like i start it and go...my car has the Sportshift tranny, and i'm not sure if it has to do some with the tranny itself or the engine...

any ideas??? this is really bugging me

transmission fluid is so thick (because of the cold) that when your car idles higher RPMs it takes more power to run. once the car is warm it should be good because the fluid heats up and gets thinner. :)

I'm not sure but it might be the same problem descibed in another post I read. It has something to do with the ECU. Apparently it's common in the 2.0L engines but isn't really a problem so unless you tell the dealer about it, they won't fix it. You can take it into the dealer for them to reprogram it or something. I'm taking mine in this weekend.

I'll let you know it this weekend solves my problem.

i too have a problem when my P5 is cold. actually it's only when it's cold outside. in the early morning when i start the car. when i turn it over it gives a shutter before starting like it's going to die. then it catches and is okay. strange. the dealership couldn't duplicate the prob. i guess it wasn't cold enough outside.